Postoperative bronchial fistula successfully treated by endoscopic closurewith coils and fibrin glue; two cases report

Abstract

We report two cases of postoperative bronchial fistula successfully treated by endoscopic closure with coils and fibrin glue. Patient 1 was a 65-year-old man with diabetes and old myocardial infarction. He underwent right lower lobectomy for lung cancer (c-T2N0M0). On the 19th postoperative day, He was found to have a bronchial fistula, and it was treated twice by endoscopic closure with coils and fibrin glue. Two years after the treatment, he has no significant symptoms. Patient 2 was a 68-year-old man. He underwent operation and radiation for cholangiocellular carcinoma of the hepatic hilus, and right lower lobectomy for metastatic lung tumor. He was admitted to our hospital with fever. He had a postoperative bronchial fistula, and underwent drainage. Because of the persistent air leakage and deterioration of the patient's general condition, the bronchial fistula was treated by endscopic closure with coils and fibrin glue. Air leakage stopped following this treatment. He expired from duodenal bleeding secondary to a post-irradiation ulcer.
Endoscopic closure of bronchial fistulas with metallic coils and fibrin glue is a useful treatment option, especially for poor surgical risk patients.